The Lake Geneva Community turned out in full force last night to explain in detail to the Plan Commission why honoring the Comprehensive Plan Map for Hillmoor is still relevant. The private recreational facilities designation and underlying rural holding zoning allow the developer to fulfill not only the Community Vision for that property but also to uphold logical planning in a City which has approved more lots for residential development than its future projected growth. The City also understands the risk of commercial development as the City Council has petitioned the State legislature to fix the Dark  Stores Initiative which drains tax dollars away from our budget. To an overflow crowd, the Plan Commission managed to bully their neighbors who spoke with emotion and eloquence describing diverse reasons to save the whole Hillmoor property. They successfully embarrassed our City in front of visitors, including a lad from New Zealand who pled with the group to learn from his country’s willingness to capitulate to Chinese investors. Add to the list of complete disdain Grace Hanny, whose family owned Hanny’s Restaurant (currently Medusas) and whose husband, a retired Air Force Colonel, is long-time MC for the annual Memorial Day celebration.

The Plan Commission walks instead in the grand path of destruction which befell the Frank Lloyd Wright hotel and the historic train station. They dishonored not only contemporary visionaries, like Grace Hanny and Ed Yaeger, but completely disregard the Natives who made camp along the White River and formed the footpaths around the shore of Geneva Lake, the robber barons and mobsters who came by train to Paradise, and James Foulus who saw the gem of Hillmoor and named it reminiscent of his own family’s heritage, St. Andrews’ Golf Course in Scotland. The travesty of the decision is the effect on our future generations. Only Ann Esarco and John Gibbs were brave enough to shout NO to the development craze. Ann and John weren’t sucked in. They know that Power isn’t to be taken lightly and weren’t corrupted by the illusion of belonging. Our children will ask about the history of our City. They will have to be satisfied with photos because the adults paved over the physical legacies.

Yet, there remains the City Council vote next Monday. Six Councilors can call out the sham that is being held out in the guise of legitimate local developers like Brian Pollard, whose absence in the deal should be a red flag. Hey, don’t forget to google “Larry Freed and Paul Fitzpatrick.”  Follow the money. Oh, right – hard to see past the two LLCs. But six brave City Council members can rise as the Phoenix to rescue a nature-deprived City. They can vote NO to save this classy City rather than have it fall into the abyss of Podunk, USA.

Written by Mary Jo Fesenmaier in gratitude for so many Brave citizens who attended and spoke at the Hillmoor Public Hearing, October 16, 2017, Lake Geneva WI